Two of the best heavyweights on the planet today are set to clash in a massive bout for ONE gold later this year in the U.S.

Three-division World Champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin will defend the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship for the first time when he meets Senegalese monster “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane in the main event of ONE 169: Atlanta on Friday, November 8 inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Anatoly Malykhin’s rise in ONE Championship

Malykhin has run through everyone put in front of him in his professional career so far, amassing a pristine 13-0 record, with all his wins coming via finish.

He started his journey in the world’s largest martial arts organization in 2021 and scored back-to-back first-round wins over former World Title challengers Alexandre Machado and Amir Aliakbari to forge a path toward gold.

However, with then-reigning titleholder Arjan “Singh” Bhullar going through contract disputes, “Sladkiy” was instead paired with Belarusian heavy-hitter Kirill Grishenko in a ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Championship in February 2022.

He continued his dominant run with another first-round finish before moving on to seek two-division glory 10 months later.

At ONE on Prime Video 5, Malykhin stunned the world by ending Reinier “The Dutch Knight” De Ridder’s 16-fight win streak with a flawless opening-round knockout to claim the ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title.

He finally got his hands on Bhullar in his next promotional outing. The pair clashed for the undisputed heavyweight MMA belt at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023, and though his Indian foe held his own, “Sladkiy” finished him in the third round to unify the division.

The clash of titans at ONE 169

Malykhin was already one of the most prominent stars in the MMA world at this point. But this past March, he made history in the sport by moving down two weight classes and taking the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title from De Ridder in a highly anticipated rematch.

They met at ONE 166: Qatar and the Russian powerhouse finished his Dutch rival in the third round to become the first mixed martial artist to hole three divisional crowns simultaneously.

Malykhin’s dominance is undeniable, but he’ll certainly have his work cut out for him when he makes his way back to heavyweight to try and put down the challenge of Kane.

“Reug Reug” has been calling out for his shot at gold since he outlasted grappling legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida over five rounds at ONE Fight Night 13 last August.

The Senegalese giant is on a three-fight streak of wins and has five victories across his six bouts in ONE Championship.

His ruthless wrestling style makes him an imposing force to face, and fans can bet he’ll be out to show Malykhin is beatable when they meet at ONE 169: Atlanta.